We are saddened to learn of the passing of Uche Nwaneri. pic.twitter.com/UstPAT1i6U

— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) January 2, 2023

REMEMBERING UCHE

Youtube is like a box of chocolates.

When you open it up, and you never know what you’re going to get.

You’re probably find chocolate, but stick with me here.

And just like with chocolate, all content on social media is not created equal.

You can literally find highest of quality, and the lowest grade of mid, in the same place. Basically, I’m saying there’s plenty of trash on social media. So, when I first subscribed to Uche Nwaneri’s channel on Youtube, I had no idea what to expect from an seven year NFL veteran with no media training or corporate support.

I discovered a wealth of insightful commentary from a talented presenter, who actually had the resume, knowledge and life experience, to speak with the authority that he did. Growing up as a half-hearted supporter of the Maurice Jones-Drew era Jaguars, I never realized how much I watched Nwaneri on television. Drafted in 2007 from Purdue University, Uche Nwaneri was an underappreciated, yet important piece for a team that made it all the way to a heartbreaking divisional round defeat in New England.

I never knew him as well as some of the others paying heartfelt tribute to him, but I definitely feel the weight of this loss for our community of sports fans. Jacksonville never won a championship during his years as a Jaguar, but Jacksonville always had a champion in the big man from Dallas.

Rest well, Uche.